ďIíve gotten to be pretty familiar with the subject. You know, I have a theory ó and itís a theory that some people believe in ó and thatís the vaccinations. We never had anything like this. This is now an epidemic. Itís way, way up over the past 10 years. Itís way up over the past two years. And, you know, when you take a little baby that weighs like 12 pounds into a doctorís office and they pump them with many, many simultaneous vaccinations ó Iím all for vaccinations, but I think when you add all of these vaccinations together and then two months later the baby is so different then lots of different things have happened. I really ó Iíve known cases.Ē

….

ďIt happened to somebody that worked for me recently…I mean, they had this beautiful child, not a problem in the world, and all of the sudden they go in and they get this monster shot. You ever see the size of it? Itís like theyíre pumping in ó you know, itís terrible, the amount. And they pump this in to this little body and then all of the sudden the child is different a month later.”

Trump has clearly gotten wind of the new CDC study. Scientists and medical professionals keep patiently pointing out a few key reasons for the significant increases: (1) a concerted effort to diagnose autism in younger children;††(2) an equally intense effort to train pediatricians, early childhood educators and parents to look out for the signs of autism in young children; (3) the vastly broadened and still-changing definition of autism, so that, today, more than a few who are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder might (in previous years) have received no diagnosis, been labelled “mentally retarded” or as having “childhood schizophrenia,” been considered “quirky/weird/eccentric” or been labeled with other conditions.

Since 1998, the notion that vaccines or something in vaccines such as the mercury-based preservative thimerosal could be causing autism has been in circulation. A British doctor, Andrew Wakefield, published an article in the medical journal The Lancet in which he said he had found a link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and the onset of autism in young children. The Lancet retracted that study in 2010 and nearly†20 recent studies have further refuted a vaccine-autism link.

But once Wakefield had held a 1998 press conference announcing his findings, the proverbial cat was out of the bag and it has proved exceedingly hard to restore public confidence in vaccines. Parents have expressed concerns about giving vaccines to young children; the fact that doctors recommend that many more vaccines than in previous decades be given has only made parents more wary. Many parents in the U.S. have chosen to space out their child’s immunizations rather than follow the schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, or not to vaccinate their children at all. Foregoing vaccination not only puts a child at risk of catching infectious diseases like measles and whooping cough — there have been recent outbreaks of both — but also endangers herd immunity: When a significant proportion of a population has been vaccinated against a disease, those who have not been vaccinated (such as infants) have a measure of protection, but when overall vaccination rates are lower, herd immunity is compromised.

Trump’s irresponsible, misinformed and frankly incorrect statements linking vaccines to autism are yet another sign of how deeply ingrained the idea of a vaccine-autism link is in the public mindset. However much most people know better than to trust Trump on matters scientific, his words are, sadly, keeping a discredited and dangerous theory about autism alive.

So, in honor of World Autism Awareness Day 2012: Vaccines do not cause autism.

You can access some of the patents for various vaccines on the internet. Read them and see if you want your child to be given a shot of that. Donald Trump is speaking what he believes.
After you read about the vaccines, make up your own mind about the rise in autism.

Thank you Cate. I cannot conveniently condense 400 pages or research into neat soundbites for here, but my reasons for being interested in vaccinations and what they can do to SOME people, is this. At 22 I was a drummer, fit and strong but I was then given 3 shots for Hepatitis B, at the hospital where I worked which led to M.E.. I would rather have had cancer as at least then people know what is wrong with you, there is compassion, help, support, treatment even and your friends and family understand. With M.E. you are as popular as a peadophile leper with AIDS. I was then unable to walk properly for the next 3 years and have spent 20 years unable to work, housebound. Not just unable to work, but have no friends, nor go on holiday, no sport, car, a house, sex, get married, continue my hobbies. As for drumming or even music, forget it. 20 million people worldwide have M.E. I bet you know nothing about it. After working with an immunologist, my research is almost complete as to what goes on with M.E. and to some people who are vaccinated. There's no proof that the Gulf War veterans got Gulf War Syndrome from vaccines either, but they sure as hell were made chronically and fatally ill by multiple shots of deadly pathogens, then sent out to war which then depresses the immune system to zero. With MMR, the problem is giving 3 shots at once, to save money. That is the real issue.

Past member has some good reminders there, but please, please look up Wakefield & his dubious behaviour on google. He did not have evidence for any link. Yes, the occurence appears to be increasing, but the classification is now much broader than 40 years ago. Vaccines have been around for far longer than the increase in occurence in the last 10-15 years. Smallpox, diptheria, whooping cough & measles can kill little children. And they frequently did prior to our modern vaccines. I once watched the awful, slow death of a little girl from post measles meningitis. And I have no doubt that if her mother could have had her alive with autism or dead, she would have chosen the former. The link is suspected because at about age 2 the autistic characteristics become apparent, just when the triple antigen is given. But if you check videos of the first birthday party of many kids with an ASD you can pick up differences from neurotypical kids.

Follow the money...Wakefield* was vilified by who?
The UK Murdoch newspaper phone hackers and their so called investigative reporter...Dumbledoor Deer, who worked for Murdoch. Murdoch's son is on the board of Merck...the vaccine maker.

This article smacks of spin doctoring...not the level of truth and accuracy I expect from Care2
Sad...this is a forum where I expect truth and neutrality...just the facts...THE REAL FACTS.

Even if you don't believe that there could be a connection between vaccines and autism, it is criminal to pump an infant with vaccinations when they are still developing their immune system. Parents should be very careful of this and refuse this vaccine assault on their children.

Kudos to Trump for speaking about this. With his celebrity status, he can bring more attention to this most important issue. Welcome to the vaccine nation.